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CPI(M) to take the lead in forging third front |
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CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat has said that it is mainly his party’s responsibility to take the lead in forging a greater Left unity for pursuing the formation of an alternative to the BJP and the Congress. Speaking at a party rally in Kolkata on Jan. 13, he said there is need for a third alternative as the Congress is a group of capitalists. Karat said the Congress has failed to address the problems of the people despite the nine per cent GDP growth. “We have a communal party such as the BJP on one side and a party of capitalists such as the Congress on the other. We need a third alternative,” Karat said.
Lauds PM’s China visit
The CPI(M) has described Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s three-day visit to China as highly successful. The party said that the visit has contributed positively towards carrying forward the improvement of relations between the two Asian giants. An editorial in the party organ, People’s Democracy, said that it is good that both countries have agreed to work for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the border problem.
The party organ urged the Manmohan Singh Government to rethink the blacklisting of certain Chinese companies on security grounds.
In a related development, the CPI(M)’s West Bengal unit conference in Kolkata accused the United States of trying to use India to ‘encircle’ China. A resolution passed at the conference on Jan. 16 said that Delhi had become a part of Washington’s Asian strategy. It said an effort was on to create a quadrangle of the US, Australia, Japan and India with the aim to expand NATO in Asia.
The CPI(M) which had denied that its opposition to the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal had anything to do with China, said that the UPA government had entered the race to become America’s junior partner. Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said increasing military ties had proved the Left’s charge that the nuclear deal was part of a strategic alliance with the United States, which also planned to use India against Iran. He said the party had succeeded in stalling the Logistics Support Agreement with the United States that was aimed at increasing cooperation in military training.
In related developments, the Left has denied that it has agreed to any proposal from the Centre for increasing fuel prices.
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